I'm back from that short break, so hopefully can try and answer a few more of your concerns and queries.
The Childcare Centre still does not appear to be back on an even keel and in my opinion there is further for the place to fall in terms of general expectations, staff moral, standards and value for money.
The posters comments regarding poor management need to be answered. The manager is still working balls-out covering dwindling staff numbers, trying to clean the nursery at a weekend and answer the myriad questions a completely inept organisation put to her. Regarding her loosing staff, it is the inability of staff to get behind the manager and support her that is effecting the rest of the staff who then lemming-like jump ship. The blame cannot sit at manager level when her area, regional manager etc provide no support or authority to spend and recruit. management in any sphere only happens with support from above and below.
Regarding the takeover. The OC Admin (old title) and the Station Master (very old title) had decided without any consultation with the trustees that the Nursery would be contracted out, Fact! A particularly nasty piece of work (a very uncivil servant) who should have children's welfare paramount in her TOR's was used to collect information on costs and pricing. Her information, used in the takeover was completely wrong. Ask yourselves,"why didn't the station executives approach the trustees who would have been duty bound to produce accurate figure".
The trustees worked hard to get the best deal. The threat from the very top Station Executives was all to real. The junior members of the trustees were put under direct pressure in their individual workplace to concur with all arrangements. Another was posted and another had complete lies spread about him which, had they been true, would have seen the Charity Commission remove him as a trustee as an undesirable person. I did tell you all early in the posts it was a nasty takeover.
The takeover was delayed for nearly a year by the trustees questioning every aspect of the takeover. The whole takeover plan was full of holes, but you all need to understand that the facility is a station resource and the trustees were responsible for running it. As with any club or organisation on base, there is no ownership of the facility.
The FFour Children Group have managed in 5 months to destroy many years of building up the integrity and good name of the Centre. Regardless of opinion the unpaid traders believe they have been let down by Cosford, not some far off charity. It may be difficult to employ tradespeople in future without money upfront.
The important thing now is for the parents (the customers) to demand 2 meetings. One with station management to let them know how unsatisfactory the present station childcare is. Second is a meeting with the executives of the new charity taking the Centre on. As a group set out your expectations and how you are going to monitor their output. Be advised this group are very anti publicity and will issue idle threats like confetti. Stand up to them. The kids are yours.
Finally get behind the Centre manager. There is serious debate on how much more crap she can take. If she walks, you may have nowhere to leave your little darlings and before someone pipes up about her being easily replaced, the place was a lot poorer before her arrival. Thanks for reading this.